


The One Eyed Pharaoh

by KoyukiTan



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Ancient Egypt, Ancient Egypt, F/F, F/M, Morality, Romance, Tokyo Ghoul: re
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-20
Updated: 2018-11-29
Packaged: 2019-08-26 09:09:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16678729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KoyukiTan/pseuds/KoyukiTan
Summary: The time of the Pharaohs, a story of two brothers.It’s the time of Egypt’s 18th dynasty during the New Kingdom, and the height of the prosperous golden period. With the aging of Pharaoh Arima, the kingdom is in high hopes to have a strong, wise, and most importantly, prepared prince to assume the throne. The heir, Prince Haise is a warrior, a scribe, and a well mannered man. Arima has made sure to place his prized son in the center of the god’s eyes as much as the citizens through both battle and celebration. As for the second born, Prince Souta – Later Furuta – is treated as the outcast and left out of his father’s festivities and military campaigns. In the shadows after Arima’s death, the forgotten prince works to rid Egypt of their beloved Pharaoh Haise.However, while the true Pharaoh has been kidnapped and taken to Memphis by some of the peasants. The former Prince of Egypt, now known as Kaneki, learns to see the world in a different perspective and gets to see firsthand the damage that Pharaoh Furuta has done to his kingdom.To restore peace, it’s up to Kaneki, his friends, and the power of the mighty gods to bring down the heretic pharaoh and restore the throne to Egypt’s true and rightful king.





	1. Prologue: The Princes Of Egypt

_They say that life here on earth means nothing at the end of the day. That it’s only a temporary stage, that our world is only a preview of the next; only it will be much more harmonious and vivid. The gods will welcome us with open arms, inviting us to tend to the land and be at peace with our loved ones…only if we were able to pass through the gates. The after life is something that seems to be more important than actually being alive. If we can’t buy our happiness here, we can buy it with heaps of gold into the next._

_Personally…I don’t think that’s what Maat stands for._

 

\--

As Ra lifted the sun into the morning sky and the first rays hit the tops of the golden obelisks in Thebes, the bustling city was already up and preparing for it’s daily lineups. The market was filled with the scents of freshly baked bread and foreign spices, fishermen were stocking their booths with the early morning’s catch from the river Nile, butchers were displaying their cuts of meat, even the more expensive booths that were carrying oranges and other fruits were egger to attend to their loyal customers. People and animals started to fill the long and narrow streets, all trying to be the first in line for the freshest produce and goods, children would run in and out of the crowds playing and teasing each other as their parents trailed after them. _It was truly the void of life_.  
But none of the royalties themselves ever went to experience the hustling of that of their subjects, they had plenty of servants to that for them.

\--

In the Malkata palace in Thebes, the two young boys, Prince Haise and Prince Souta awoke just as soon as the sun shot through their silk curtains and then their nanny would arrive to prep them for the busy day they had ahead of them…more so for Haise at least. 

But before their father would come to retrieve them for their royal duties and lessons, the two enjoyed playing by the Nile, and one spot in particular was close to the palace but far enough to catch a break from their regal lives. 

“You’re weak Souta.” Haise laughed, playfully pushing his younger brother back into a ticket of reeds, “you have wobbly legs!”

“I’m not weak! You’re just stronger than me.” Souta retorted, picking out leaves in his hair and dusting his kilt, “Father takes you out hunting all the time…he hardly ever takes me.”

“That’s not true Souta,” Haise could easily see the sadness in the younger boys expression and was quick to be at his side. Maybe his comment was a little hurtful, “Hey, you and father got a big ostrich that one time, remember? And you nearly got a hyena too!”

“Yeah, I did.” Bringing up the simple hunting expedition seemed to cheer up the boy as a wide smile started to take over his features and his red eyes glowed with subtle pride. Then, taking his older brothers hand, he dragged him over to the shallow parts of the bank, “Come on, let’s go for a swim!”

“A swim? Now?” Haise looked dumbfounded as Souta started to strip himself of his kilt and jumped into the cool water, splashing him in the process. 

“Why not? It’s hot today and it’ll get us through the day!”

“But…it’s bad to go into the Nile without permission…it goes against Maat.” The prince never liked to go against the god’s wishes and beliefs, he knew they were watching him and every move he made, even something as small as swimming in the Nile freely could upset them. But Souta didn’t see things in the same light, he figured that they could get away with whatever they pleased, that the gods couldn’t punish princes. 

“Come on Haise, it’s nice a cold! The gods won’t know or care, they have more important things to worry about than worry about us swimming.”

So, after thinking quickly and rash, Haise decided to strip of his own kilt and join his brother in the cool river, splashing and laughing his cares away even for a few minutes. Surly the gods wouldn’t mind the princes taking a swim, if anything they were adding their purity to the Nile. It was when another child strolled along the bank and spotted them that seemed to put their fun on hold. 

“What are you guys doing?” a beautiful girl with long purple hair, a little bit younger then both of them, stared at them in shock as they paused their game to see what was wrong, “Why are you in the river?”

“Swimming!” Haise replied simply, “Want to join us?”

Rize took a gawked over at the kilts lying along the shore line and immediately shook her head, sheepishly declining their offer, “No thanks.”

Rize was just as mysterious as she was beautiful. All that was known about her is that she was the daughter of a Mitanni princess that later came to Egypt for political matters. But her mother died not to long after she was born and was being raised in the court as a possible future wife for one of the prices, most likely Haise. Ironically, it wasn’t Haise who was already developing feelings for this possible queen, but rather Souta as he was usually the one talking with her in the royal gardens, playing senate to amuse her, and following her around the palace like a puppy. Unlike Souta, romance didn’t matter to Haise, all he could think about was his training to becoming the next pharaoh. He didn’t care about who his queen would be right now; even if the future did depend on him to one day create an heir for himself. 

 

Still standing on the banks confounded, Rize eventually gave a nod to the boys before making her way through the thicket back towards the palace trying not to laugh though the shuffling of the reeds.

“Wait, Rize-“ 

“Never mind her Souta, why don’t we-“

“Your highnesses?!” another voice came from the reeds on the bank, a voice that made both the princes want to sink into the mud at their feet as _Grand Vizier Ui_ spotted them.  
Their father’s most reliable adviser, though more like a babysitter for the boys these days, rushed over to the waters edge and fetched the kilts lying in the dirt. His dark chin length hair covered part of his face as he instructed them to get out, “Pharaoh sent me to find you and this is what see? It’s disrespectful to be swimming in the sacred Nile you know! How would Amun-Ra take your disregard for our source of life? You’re lucky that he didn’t send a crocodile or Hippo your way.”

Haise was the first to step out of the water, ashamed as he shook his damp black and white hair and slipped back on his golden kilt, apologizing to the vizier for the trouble.

“It’s not me you shall have to apologize to, it’s Amun-Ra. I suggest that you both find some time to visit the temple today and make a grand offering.” Grand Vizier Ui guided the children away from the waters and back up the pathway of the palace to be cleaned up before being in the presence of Pharaoh. 

While in the baths, Haise looked over at a suddenly silent Souta and said that he would go with Ui and Pharaoh to the temple to make his amends later that day. 

Souta replied chillingly,

“I’m staying here.”

 

**Egypt suffered from famine for a year.**


	2. Chapter 1: The Power Of Sekhmet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Prince Haise leads his first military campaign in order to please the Pharaoh, he must prove himself worthy of being heir to the throne of Egypt. 
> 
> Meanwhile, Grand Vizier Ui is faced with a dilemma of keeping tradition and accepting fate.

When a Pharaoh returns from battle, it means that the gods are still watching over the people, protecting them, and as a reward for their loyalty; allowing their king-on-earth to bring back precious goods to add to Egypt’s prosperity. 

And today’s battle shouldn’t be any different, Haise thought; Pharaoh Arima has never lost a fight. 

A few guards scouting the perimeters of Upper Egypt had given word of a group of Hittites that were setting up a small community close to Nubia. They seemed to be settling in with no intensions of attacking, but with Hittites, no chances were taken. That’s why Pharaoh brought the best of his army and his two sons to fight alongside him.  
In the midday sun, Pharaoh’s golden chariot reflected Ra’s sunlight - that one would assume that he was Ra himself; it even risked the eyes of anyone who stared directly at it. The man stood stiffly on his feet and held the reins in his hands firmly, paying no heed to any of his men who rode behind him with even a glance or nod; but this is how he always went into battle, silent as a lamb.  
But the two men that were up in front with him, were not any of his generals, but rather the two princes, trying to follow their father’s example. 

“Haise,” Pharaoh spoke dryly to his eldest riding next to him, “We’re getting close to the destination. Be the sword of Egypt, I want you to lead the men into battle.”

Even though they were still only at a walking pace, Haise nearly lost his balance in his chariot. This was the first time he ever heard of Pharaoh asking for a prince to lead; _for him to lead_ , “What? But…I’m not-“ 

“I want you to show me what you’ve learnt. Haise...When I go into the after life, It’ll be you who protects Egypt in my place.” 

Prince Souta tried not to sound too displeased as a smile formed across his face, “But father, isn’t it the gods who actually protect Egypt? What’s the point of all this fighting, can’t we just pray to the gods for protection?” Unlike Haise, Souta wasn’t much for the army, he may have had the physic for the part, but he was weak and had poor aim. No one knew why Pharaoh insisted on bringing the younger prince along; he only ever held them back. Not only that, he purposefully mocked the gods to try and receive attention from the royal court. To avoid exposing this information to the commoners that a royal son was insulting the gods, Pharaoh kept him from ever attending any public celebrations. But unlike the servants or Viziers of the palace, who usually spread the gossip about the prince’s strange ideals, Pharaoh ignored his son’s comment and kept his eyes locked to the horizon.

“Souta, the gods protect the land and the people everyday. They give us both life and death. It’s when you test authority that the gods can take away both of those things in an instant, even your afterlife. So if they demand we fight in their place; we fight.”  
But his son didn’t respond. He averted his gaze up to the sky and kept to himself the rest of the journey. 

It wasn’t weird for one to look foreword to what the afterlife had in store for them, in fact, it was rare for anyone to truly be scared of death since they all knew that they’d just be going to the next stage of life. A place filled with fields to be tended to, cattle to feed, fresh flowing waters all year, no fear of drought or famine. Life was expected to be grand, and for a Pharaoh, even more luxurious. They were believed to even become gods themselves. But was anyone truly fearless to leave their first life behind? 

\--

The Hittite settlement was placed exactly where they expected to be, and it wasn’t as small as the first guards said it was. Suddenly, Haise felt like he was going to blow away in the dry desert air, he’d helped his father conquer small territories before…but nothing like this.  
Even Souta looked afraid.  
But to Pharaoh, this was probably nothing in comparison to past campaigns he’d partaken in.  
This was Haise’s test, Pharaoh wanted to see if his heir was up to task to bring prosperity to Egypt, no matter the size of the enemy. So, taking a quick glance back at the army behind him, Haise held his bow in the air in the air, and felt the earth shake under him as thousands of horses and chariots raced behind him.

Haise led his army into the small Hittite village, his soldiers plummeting into the streets like locusts on wheat – **fast and distrustful**.  
In his chariot, the Prince held his bow ‘n arrow tightly locked on a man that held a small iron knife and ready to charge, but Haise was able to take him out with ease as his arrow shot and impaled him through his chest. That man was not from part of their army, but Haise could respect his courage to fight even if it cost him his life.  
Next to the Prince was a young solider from his own army on horseback, he wielded only a wooden shield and a spear; though he hardly looked like a warrior the way fear painted his delicate features. 

“You’ll be an easy target if you just zone out,” Haise wielded his chariot around the young man, shooting two more Hittites before they could attack the green haired solider, “if you can’t fight in the battle, secure the perimeter!”

“I-I can fight!” He said, shakily pointing his spear through a man that tried to sneak up behind the prince behind his blind spot, “It’s my duty, your highness.”

“Are you new?” 

“Yes, this is the first campaign I’ve participated in.”

Haise would be lying if he said that this was the first time that a new solider was tentative in battle. No matter how one looked at this situation, what they were doing was taking away lives. 

_But if it was for the greater good of Egypt, to assure that his predecessors would be secure, that his name would be carved into stone for eternity, that the gods would see him as a powerful and worthy Pharaoh to grant him passage into the afterlife, Haise would be able to look past this._

Once the Prince and the solider were able to secure their area, Haise found a moment to spare to ask the young man’s name, and he responded, “Mutsuki.”

“Mutsuki, I’ll advise you to stay close to General Urie or Lieutenant Suzuya for the remainder of the battle. If you want to assure you come out of this alive, they’re the one’s you’ll want to have your back.”

“Yes, your highness! Thank you!” Then, turning his horse, Mutsuki made his way through drums of war and clouds of sand and dust. The air was now filled cold cries and the scent of rust and blood. 

Flicking his reins, Haise raced through the smog of sand and the fight of the two clans, until finally coming across his brother and a commander, one by the name of Kijima, who had cornered a husband and wife by the front of a door; assembly their house. The man held out a sword towards the younger prince Souta, his arm was still and steady, but this Hittite didn’t appear to be a solider. However, Haise never had the chance to intervene before Souta shot them both with his bow ‘n arrow and commander Kijima finished the job by decapitating them. 

“My, what a nice sword,” Kijima awed over the weapon that he then took from the man’s body, “It’s made of Iron. It’s amazing, isn’t it your highness?” He was speaking to Souta, though it looked more like the commander was talking to himself. 

“Yes, quite.” 

“Too valuable of an item for someone like him. It’s property of Egypt now-“ However, Kijima’s life was soon taken away when another Hittite solider came from behind and impaled him – and Souta struggled to grasp for his bow again. That’s when Haise came into the light, shooting down the solider and crying out to his brother, 

“Souta – The commander!”

“I didn’t see him in time!” Souta really was useless on the battlefield; he needed assistance to take down any enemy…even if they were two feet away. But then again, Haise could’ve saved Kijima, he saw the enemy close in, but somewhere inside he was struck with anger when he saw what he did to those people so ruthlessly. 

But this was war, these things happened…but did they have to?

Eventually, the two brother’s found their way into the heart of the fight where they found many of their own men dead, alongside the enemy, but within in it all was Pharaoh and the Village’s chief.  
Indeed, Pharaoh was quick to wield a sword; Arima was always two steps ahead of the chief who seemed to struggle as he was trying to counter the attacks on horseback.  
It was a privilege to see Pharaoh in action like this, and Haise watched in awe as his father reared his horses around Chief Shachi’s. But still, something seemed off. Arima was fighting only on one side, his eyes locked on the enemy at all times and never let him slip past his right side. Clearly, he would be more successful if he would allow himself to be able to move at all sides and go behind the chief. But Haise wasn’t the only one who noticed this, Souta also was able to pick up on the stiffened attacks and wanted to assist; but that was his mistake. 

“Father!” he reached for his bow again, aiming poorly and missing Shachi only by a few millimeters. One of the Hittite’s attacked Souta by taking out a wheel from his chariot and causing the prince to fly and roll to the ground. 

“Souta!” His elder brother called, luckily the fall did little damage as the man was able sit up, but his bow was no where to be seen. Shachi took advantage of this and now had his hopes of getting rid of the prince by sneaking around the Pharaoh’s blind side. NO!  
Prince Haise moved in front of his brother, just as he’d protected Mutsuki before, and pulled two arrows from his back and aimed his one arrow for Shachi and the other for his horse. With steady breathing and a thoughtful position, the prince was able to single handedly take down the enemies’ leader.  
Though, brought down to his knees, Shachi looked up at the Pharaoh who seemed as tall as his statues, staring down at him with his sword aimed for his face. 

Then Haise turned his gaze away.

\--

By the end of the battle, the village had been completely cleaned of its resources. They took the cattle, they took their iron, their weapons, their spices, gold, silver, everything.  
To the Egyptian’s, this was a successful campaign and the eldest prince was sure to be honored. But still…it didn’t feel right. 

Haise suggested that he, Souta, and few soldiers would do one last look through the village to be sure that they collected everything. There was nothing left but a few remaining homes and bodies in the streets.  
But as he was scouting through what was left of most of the homes, Prince Haise was back at the place where Kijima killed the man and woman. Their bodies lay where they were before, but the prince didn’t want to look at them again, all he was concerned about right now was their house that remained intact.  
The wooden door opened easily, even by the grace of his fingertips, and as he looked inside, all he could see was a few jars, pots, and tapestries. Still, his curiosity pulled him in to investigate further, looking around for anything that might catch his attention. But the air was still and the dust was finally settling on the ground again, there was nothing left. The house was a barren, no more valuable to be found. But just as he was about to leave, he heard something come from behind one of the tapestries; movement – like a mouse. Keeping a hand on a knife attached to his kilt, Haise swiftly moved towards the sound and moved the fabric away! Behind it, was something that made his stomach rise to his throat, a girl.  
A girl, only a few years younger than himself, was huddled in the corner of a small, empty room with a hand over her mouth to keep herself from crying. Seeing that she clearly wasn’t a threat, Haise let go of his weapon and carefully approached her,

“It’s over.” He whispered, “The battle is over.”

The young girl let out a sob as her hand moved away from her mouth, tears staining her cheeks as her gaze looked past the prince and out to the door way, calling out for her parents that would never rise to their feet again. Haise didn’t have anything else to say to her, he didn’t want to tell her what happened; she already knew. 

But he still, in some strange way, held respect for the man and woman that gave their lives in order to protect their daughter’s. 

“There you are Haise,” Souta appeared at the doorway, blocking the view of the girl’s parents by his new chariot, “What are you- a girl?” Souta was probably waiting to see to that his brother finish her off swiftly, but the older Prince had a better idea in mind for her. 

“Yes, she’ll be joining the other captives into slavery.” He said, looking at his brother as the girl looked up at him in horror, “For now, she’ll be under my orders.”

“Whatever you say, I don’t really care, but lets hurry so we can go home.” 

Once Souta was gone, Haise looked back down at the girl, smiling at her as he held out a hand, “What’s your name?”

She looked puzzled by the gesture, hesitating before slipping one of her hands into his so she could stand,

“Hinami…” 

 

With all their goods and captives, this might’ve seemed like a small victory to history, but to Egypt, this indeed was worthy of being remembered. Pharaoh Arima requested that once they returned to Egypt that the record the events of Prince Haise’s first campaign be carved into the temple of Amun. 

\--

 

Grand Vizier Ui was Pharaoh’s right hand man when it came down to the political matters of the empire, especially when he was away at battle. 

In the Audience Chamber of Malkata palace, the Vizier was attending to the needs of the people in Pharaoh’s place, keeping in check the usual forms of state. While Pharaoh Arima was a good man to have in battle, he was never much for business and meetings. Sometimes his requests would be careless or just ridiculous…today’s request was one of those Ui considered ‘unethical’. 

“Grand Vizier,” a voice echoed from the doorway, “I’ve come to bring you a message from Pharaoh Arima.”

“Eto…” Ui looked up from a table pilled with papyrus scrolls to see the pretty Scribe walk over to him with a stone in her hand. Though it wasn’t just any stone, there was a message written on it, “Let’s see.”

“You’re going to love this one.” She chuckled, handing him the small slab of rock and watched as Ui’s face twisted as he read the hieroglyphics.

“He can’t be serious? He wants Prince Haise carved into the temple of Amun?! No, Pharaoh’s are on temple walls, not princes!”

“You don’t have a say in this, Vizier.”

“Yes I do!”

“It’s written in stone. Pharaoh wants the events of the Champaign written in Haise’s name. Besides, he’s going to be Pharaoh someday, then you’ll _have_ to listen to him.” Eto always loved teasing the Vizier with her snarky and, almost always, accurate comments. But while Ui had always admired his Pharaoh, sometimes it was silly, incompetent and untraditional requests like these that just made him irritated. So, putting the stone on the table, the Grand Vizier took a breath and made his way towards the doorway.

“I need to think about this. Eto, call in Vizier Hirako to come attend to these scrolls in my absence.”

“Certainly. But don’t think about this too hard, your head is big enough.”

\--

Against the blue sky and the blazing sun, the palace shone like a pearl. The beautiful stone castle, covered in grand, colourful paintings of Sobek and other deities. Along side these were numerous statues of Pharaoh Arima himself; all displaying strength and royalty, as his gaze would forever be fixed onto the horizon, looking over Thebe’s that was just across the Nile. But Vizier Ui wanted to spend his break in the royal gardens, sitting by the ponds and taking in the scent of the lotus’s and out of Pharaoh’s stone eyes. But instead, someone else had already beaten him there.  
A young lady, wearing a silk gown and a Nubian wig was sitting by the pond’s edge and dipping her feet into the water. Clearing his throat, Ui was going to scold her for her brainlessness of putting her feet into a scared pond, 

“How thoughtless of you to bathe in the palace pond!” but now that he was closer, he could tell that she had a high status…judging by the gold and crown she was wearing. But she heard him, and when the startled woman turned to look at him, Ui fell flat for words. “Excuse me, who are you?” He asked her, coming up to the water’s edge. Now that they were close up, Ui’s eyes were no longer fixated on the gold and jewels she wore, but rather the colour of her eyes. He’d never seen such a shade of green in an individual’s eye before. Those were jewels all on their own.

“Is this how you always approach princesses, Grand Vizier Ui?” She asked, obviously not taking his question seriously as she turned herself away, humming as she leaned down to touch the petals of a blue lotus flower. 

Princess? What Princess? Ui knew everyone who lived within the walls of the palace – and he didn’t remember meeting her before…yet somehow she knew him. “I’m sorry my lady, I don’t believe we’ve met.”

“Really? That’s surprising…I’ve heard lots about you. You’re Pharaoh’s loyal Adviser, right?” Then, turning back towards him, she smiled, “I’m Hairu.”

But the name wasn’t ringing a bell. 

Hairu tilted her head, “You have no idea who I am? I’m marrying Pharaoh Arima!”

“WHAT?” _Marrying Pharaoh?_ Another Wife? This was the first Ui was hearing of this. How? When? Did he do this behind Ui’s back? Not to be against the will of the gods, but Pharaoh Arima wasn’t exactly as young as he once was…and had plenty of women in his harem already, Royal wife Akira, and a heir. What would he need with another young lady? “I mean…my lady, would you remind me of how you’re marrying Pharaoh?”

“I thought I sent my body servant to give you the message of my arrival. Matsumae?”

“I never-“ But when Ui thought about it…he never did get the chance to look through all the papyrus scrolls on his table…and there’s a chance that maybe one of those contains the message. “oh- yes, that’s right.”

“You seem like you’re in a conundrum. You’re being forgetful…that’s not a good thing coming from the Grand Vizier.” Hairu giggled. Plucking one of the lotuses and lifting it to her face to take in the scent.

Ui furrowed his brow. 

“Yes, well, I’m a busy man.”

“Are you? Then why are you spending time in the garden with the new bride of Pharaoh?”

 _Why are you marrying Pharaoh in the first place?_ that’s what he wanted to ask anyways. If Hairu has hopes on replacing Akira, then she should loose that dream. The people love and respect Queen Akira and Pharaoh Arima values her companionship and in helping him rule. Perhaps the marriage has nothing to do with love; maybe it’s to make an alliance…perhaps a group from the sea-peoples sent her. Yeah, that had to be it. But it didn’t concern Ui anyways as he had bigger problems to worry about…like convincing the Pharaoh to change his mind about Haise going on the temple walls until his reign. Because if he was planning to glorify a prince for winning a simple military Campaign by putting him on the holiest of walls – then he might as well bring leather into Hathor’s temple.

“Taking your leave already?” Princess Hairu suddenly looked dispirited as she watched the Grand Vizier turn away from her, but he only left so he retrieve her sandals. 

“Yes, my lady. Now if you’d prefer, I can show you to the baths so you don’t have to do so in the garden’s pond.”

\--

 

There really was nothing comparable to the celebration of a Pharaoh returning successfully from a battle. Pharaoh Arima led the precession of his men behind him all through the streets of Thebe’s that led them to the docks so they could be brought over to the Palace. As Usual, the princes rode in their chariots next to the Pharaoh, so they were able to see first hand how much respect the people gave him when he brought back chests full goods, treasures, and another victory in their name. Guards held them back as they walked through, but many chanted out his name with smiles on their faces. Arima didn’t engaged in the presence of his people, not a wave, or a nod, or even a smile. It was clear that both Haise and Souta wanted to greet the crowd as they both practically had to hold themselves back to follow their father’s example. But this was how he earned respect…so he said. 

 

When they arrived back in the palace, Haise was so happy to be able to take in the pleasant smells of freshly burning incense and see the familiar halls and walls he’d grown to love. 

“We’re back!” Haise burst into the Audience chamber, disrupting a busily perturbed Grand Vizier Ui and Vizier Hirako who were hustling through piles of scrolls.

“Welcome home, my son.” Up on the dais, the beautiful Queen Akira descended from her throne, causing her cat that was sitting on her knee to flee, and walked down to embrace her eldest son, “I’m so glad you’re safe.”

“I missed you Mom.”

“I’m safe too, Mom.” Souta entered the Audience chamber, though a little less enthusiastically, but was also given a hug by their mother.

“Where is Pharaoh?” Ui asked anxiously, interrupting the family reunion, “I need to speak with him immediately.”

“In the courtyard with General Urie.” Haise replied, puzzled at the usual controlled Vizier. But he’d already left the room before the prince could say anything else. Odd.  
But Akira had other instructions for the princes,

“You two need to head up to your chambers, we’re hosting a grand banquet tonight to celebrate.”

“Celebrate what?” 

But Akira just shrugged as she reached down to pick up her cat that wandered back over to her. 

“I’ve said too much already.”

\--

 

As Haise stood in front of the torch-lit light of his bedroom chambers, the walls painted with rivers filled with fish, lotuses blossoming along the banks, stalks of grain being tended to, and gods and goddesses protecting their people; life and prosperity was watching over him. Looking at his reflection in the mirror with his golden kilt and jewels, he couldn’t help but smile a little. He always did enjoy a good banquet, even if the crowd was the same, the food was delicious and there was always good company in the palace. 

Speaking of which…he hoped that the newest servant was settling in all right.  
Before he went to get ready, he requested that Hinami, the girl he found alone in the house, be a body servant to the ladies of the court. That way she would be able to have a little more luxury than the other common servants – she’d even have a chamber within the courtyard. But then again…it’s not like Haise would be sealing the wound of what she witnessed.

Then, at his door, a woman peered inside before bothering to knock. Only one person he knew did that. 

“Are you decent?”

“Rize, we’ve been over this, please knock before entering.” Haise laughed as the Princess walked into his room, she was already in her evening gown, gold was sprinkled along her face and breasts, her arms and chest covered with hennaed flowers, her hair was long and silky, and her makeup was flawless as usual. Though even without makeup she was pretty. She was the most beautiful woman in Egypt, and she was destined to be his bride. 

“I’ve come to take you down to the banquet.” She said, twirling a piece of her hair between her fingers, 

“You know that’s supposed to be my line, right?”

“Well let’s go, I want to see what they’re serving.”

So, taking her by the arm, Haise escorted Rize out of his chambers and down to the Grand hall where it looked like all of Egypt came to celebrate. 

 

Once Rize found her way over to her friends from the Harem, Haise took to the crowds to find some of his friends. 

“Lieutenant Suzuya!” Haise greeted his friend in the army, who was standing by one of the tables with his men eating honey cakes and drinking beer. 

“You can just call me Suzuya you know, your highness.” Suzuya and his men were a pretty rowdy group, but they were all good-hearted men and valuable soldiers, “Congrats on the victory, we all know it’s you who really won the fight.”

“Haha, no, we all played a role. It was a team effort.”

“Prince Haiseeee!” Haise wasn’t just friendly with the soldiers he fought alongside, he also had a few friends in the nobility…this man was one of his childhood companions. Though unlike many of the soldiers, this man loved his share in colours and gold.

“Ah…Tsukiyama, how are you?”

“I’m perfectly fine knowing our Prince Haise has returned!” Then, trying to slip the prince away from Suzuya, Tsukiyama guided his friend over to a separate table where his family was residing, “come, shall we try the new wines?”

\--

Grand Vizier Ui’s hopes fell through, Arima was the one who ended up persuading him into going through with the project by supporting the events of what this night was to bring. So Ui didn’t see it as a celebration, but more of a let down of tradition. 

As he nurtured his own beer at a table with some of the other court officials, he couldn’t help but catch a pair of green eyes that wondered past him. At the harem’s table, Hairu was sitting amongst the other court’s ladies, mingling and laughing. Ui almost didn’t recognize her without the Nubian wig on… _so her hair was naturally pink_. But, his eyes averted back to the table. He couldn’t have eyes for her; she was getting married to the Pharaoh after all. 

 

\--

 

Finally, as the events of the evening were coming to a close, Pharaoh himself requested to speak in the hall. Standing on the dais, both Akira and Ui stood on either side of him as he requested that Prince Haise come up. Then there, in front of hundreds of people, Arima told the story of how Haise led the military and defeated the small group of Hittites. 

“That’s why, I firmly believe, that Prince Haise is ready to rule with me as co regent!” Everyone cheered in the chamber as Ui placed the white crown of Upper Egypt on Haise’s head and Arima presented to him his own favorite iron sword – the one he used to take down the chief. 

Just like that, life was no longer that of just being a prince of Egypt.


End file.
